Apple are clearly developing new and unusual ways of enhancing security measure for iPhones and MacBooks, they have just filed a patent for not only the more conventional biometric sensing techniques including fingerprint scanning, but have also described further security techniques that could be used such as odour or DNA.

The details that have been filed are headed Embedded Authentication Systems and give precise diagrams of proposed techniques that could be used to authenticate the correct user. One of the proposed security measures for the iPhone is particularly disturbing as it seems to hint that the ear canal will be used as some form of authentications, and the iPhone will register if the person holding the iPhone to their ear is the correct owner. There are other ways of checking the identity of the user for security purposes as proposed by Apple for the iPhoine, the filing also details other methods some of which entail shaking or tilting of the iPhone a number of times in a certain manner, tapping the screen in a pattern technique.

The filing for the MacBook focuses on fingerprints, hand prints, knuckle prints, palm prints, blood vessel formation or any other visible distinguishing marks under the skin. There is also some mention of eye recognition, from iris to eye twitching and face recognition.

Clearly we are all concerned with the security of our expensive electronic equipment but whether there is the need for such extreme measures as proposed by Apple to maintain security of our electronic equipment remains to be seen. Now if you needed to give some form of DNA sample to be able to drive your car away then that might be worth the expense. How long will it be before we will need to give a urine sample just to use our iPhone?

Richard Sharp is the founder of gadgetsandgizmos.org. He loves technology, gadgets (comes with the territory) and social media. You'll find him writing features, attending events and playing with cool tech. Life's good.